Steam gift cards are one of the best gifts you can give to a gamer. They can use gift cards or Steam Wallet codes and redeem them on Steam. They can then be used to purchase games and other services on this platform. However, many people have fallen prey to the Steam card scams recently. This scam is undoubtedly frightening, especially because these cards are very difficult to track, once you have activated a gift card or code, as it can’t be traced. Therefore to help you avoid any unfortunate experiences, here is everything you need to know about these scams and how you can prevent them from happening.
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How do Steam Card Scams Work?
Here are some of the most common ways Steam card scams take place –
PayPal account scam
Scammers will ask the victims to purchase Steam Wallet codes and they will inform them that once they receive it they will send the victims the amount they owe them via PayPal. However, once they send them the codes, the scammer will disappear and subsequently won’t pay them back. Instead, they can go and sell these codes online.
Additionally, another popular scam that has been going around recently is when scammers adjust the Terms and Conditions section of a PayPal invoice and make it seem as if the victim owes them money, instead of the scammers. They then send this over to Steam Support and since they have proof from the scammers, they will pressure the victims to pay them back.
Phishing Emails scam
This happens when the scammer tries to impersonate the look and exact blueprint of a Steam email and try to entice the victims by mentioning different kinds of exciting and profitable deals. However, once the victim clicks on the link attached to the email, it will redirect the victim to a fake Steam login page. After they log in, all their bank and card details can be stolen.
Steam card trade scam
As mentioned earlier, scammers might ask the victims to purchase a digital gift card or code and then not pay them back once they receive their card or code. Additionally, some scammers might promise the victims a great deal or might ask them to trade their gift cards with them. Once the victims send them the fee or their gift card details, they either don’t send the gift card or code or send them a fake one.
Steam administrators scam
There are chances of victims getting scammed via phone calls or messages as well. The scammer will tell them that they are a part of Steam administration and that their account is going to be suspended soon. In order to revoke this suspension the victim will have to pay a hefty amount and usually, the payment has to be done via Steam Wallet.
How can you Avoid Steam Card Scams?
- Firstly, keep in mind that these scammers will try to reach out to you via other social media platforms like Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as well. Therefore, always trade or purchase your Steam gift cards and Wallet codes with someone you know and trust.
- Try not to purchase digital or physical gift cards in bulk, as once you activate and use them, it becomes difficult to trace these cards.
- If you are purchasing a gift card, make sure you keep the receipt safe as that will be your only form of proof if you happen to get scammed.
- Whenever you purchase a gift card or code, make sure to only activate them once you are ready to purchase any of the games and services on Steam.
- Pay attention to minute details. For example, with the Steam login scam we mentioned above, once you click on the link, although the page will look similar since it is a copy, there will also be some notable differences.
- Lastly, if you are worried about scammers hacking into your Steam account, you can secure all your information by adding a Multi-Factor Authentication system to your account as well.
This is everything you need to know about how you can identify any Steam scams and prevent them from taking place. You can also check out which are some of the best Steam winter deals right now and which Steam game is currently available for less than $1, right here on Gamer Tweak.